Emerald City Knights: Riders on the Storm!

[Draidden]

TEMPEST

---

Jordan floats in the air staring at Charles as he hold his hands up and causes the earth to quake and threatens to drop these buildings on the innocent people trying to flee. He recognizes him and his mind runs to all the bullying and horrible things this guy did to him growing up. Jordan has no idea why this creatin targeted him and right now it does not really matter. His anger builds towards this degenerate who now has powers.

As his anger builds, the skies darken more and the winds pick up. A heavy rain starts to fall and lightning plays through the clouds. And Jordan floats higher up till he is about 60 feet up in the air. He seems completely unaware of the fact that he has just called in a storm as it does not seem to have any affect on him. Others are starting to find it harder to move and see.

"CHARLES BRADLEY!!! I am sick of your bullying and I will tolerate it no more!"

ActionsUse Weather Control to call in a storm that is covering a 2 mile radius around him.

Heavy winds cause - impede movement by 1 rank
Heavy Rain - reduce visibility -2

This prepping to send down lightning.

 

Edited August 12, 2023 by Draidden (see edit history)

[Inquisitor D]

"Iroha?!"

Cordelia's just about able to stay on her feet. Her best friend isn't so lucky. For the first time, the newly minted telepath is starting to look scared. She could try and help her friend up, but where could they go? This whole area is unstable right now.

If these idiots are going to keep fighting, the collateral's going to be horrendous. We need to end this.

I need to end this.

Wheeling around, Cordelia charges at the earthquake man. She's not in the mood for talking: they need to end this quickly and cleanly before this gets any worse. And like it or not... she's in a position to do something about it now.

She can feel it, even as the rain starts to pour down on her. Determination, forming from her mind, coming together as something solid. Something she can use. The outline of a blade forms in Cordelia's hand, lines of rose pink energy giving the suggestion of a sword. She charges forward, the thought-form raised towards the distracted quake-human, hoping her simple blow will have the force to do some good.

[Zen Gypsy]

Pinnacle, Paragon of Emerald City

DODGE: +6 +3 | PARRY: +6 +3 | TOU: +14 | FORT: +10 | WILL: +10

HERO POINTS: 5 | LUCK: 2

ACTIVE EFFECTS: None

CONDITIONS: Fatigued; Vulnerable

---

Saturday, June 3, 2023, Yellow Brick Row, 1:06 p.m.:

Quentin looked on in shock, as the chaos erupted across the Row, it appeared that the explosion had affected others in similar fashion to himself and now these people were lashing out in confusion, in fear, and in pain. He, himself, barely had a grasp on what was happening to his own body, his entire body felt sore, like after an intensive practice, like his muscles had been pushed to their limit, fatigue began to set in, time seemed to dilate, stretching and compressing as the scene shifted around him. He recognized Hitteiger, a prodigy of ECU's Athletics Department, the guy was vicious on the field, and, right now, he was being driven into a rage by the changes he was undergoing, far more ... extensive ... than his own. He knew about anabolic steroids, some players felt the need to use them, other's didn't, but the rumors of a chemically altered rage hovered over their usage, this, appeared to be, that same effect, but amped up exponentially.

Suddenly the sky darkened, and it was raining hard enough that people were running for shelter, that, he thought to himself, would help with the fires at least. An armored AEGIS agent engaged Hitteiger, a lance of neural energy flaring out from the suits weapon systems, the enraged athlete responded, his powerful legs hurling him into the sky, missing his target, he was isolated on the roof of a building on the other side of the Row. The young woman he had pulled from the burning bookstore suddenly manifested blades of psionic energy around her hands and charged towards the young man who seemed to be the epicenter of the earthquake, a snarl of defiance on her face. That's when a winged woman landed atop the building, summoning a dome of solid light to trap herself and the raging athlete within.

As he realized that the bystanders on the Row were in significant danger, time seemed to stand still, his muscles moved without thought, exponentially stronger, exponentially faster than he had ever been, propelling him forward at speeds that would make him a blur to an outside observer. Jackson had taken him to the Freedom League Museum when he graduated Grade Six, it was a museum devoted to super-heroes, he remembered being frightened by the Hall of Heroes, all those waxen replicas of the League, Centurion, Bowman, Freedom Eagle, Johnny Rocket. He seemed to be moving through that hall once again, people's faces frozen in shock, in fear, in desperation, however, he had the time to save them, he could save them all! It was a blur, time seemed to snap back in to place, and suddenly he was exhausted, his chest heaving, he dropped to a knee, steadying himself. But around him, at the EMS command center, there was a crowd of thirty or so people who he had pulled out of the fires, removed from the threat of collapsing buildings, uncontrolled fires, and a super-powered brawl.

"You're ok," he huffed, as he struggled to his feet, "you're all ok ...," and he, slowly, began moving back towards the center of the Row, hoping he had enough strength left to put an end to the battle. "This has to stop, people, hurt," he said to himself as he moved forward.

Edited August 13, 2023 by Zen Gypsy (see edit history)

[Jedaii]

The Yellow Brick Row, 1:06 p.m.

 

Seraph (rooftop):

The massive albino looks around at the mystic field around him and then gazes at the heroine with a frown, "Why would we fight? You're a beautiful Aryan goddess! You could be my queen!"

 

Everyone:

Tempest's rainstorm pummels the Row causing Charlie to raise a hand shielding his eyes as bystanders run for cover! As the Analyst rushes towards him, the rain-slick street causes her to slow her charge ...

Suddenly, a woman - laughing on her cellphone upside down - streaks fifty-feet overhead with a trail of three ECPD cruisers in her wake! One cruiser tumbles away towards the circling news helicopter crashing into it with an echoing explosion that causes the cameraman to fall out desperately grasping the lower rails as his camera smashes to the street below near Pinnacle - followed by the crushed burning police cruiser! The damaged smoking helo sputters out of control towards the street as the flying woman sails towards the end of the Row with two cruisers drifting in-tow!

Scene

• Hardlight is engaged with the giant spider as the rescued victim and bystanders close stand by
• Crystal Titan stands next to the semi-demolished still burning building
• Pinnacle stands in the street having cleared a large group of pedestrians from his side of the street - the newsman's camera crashes next to him
• Psi-Star is airborne watching everything including Seraph & the Nazi Hulk on a nearby rooftop (he can't hear them)
• Tempest, Analyst and Charlie are shrouded in a contained rainstorm
• Three building fires are sputtering out due to the rainstorm
• Cops and AEGIS are watching from a distance
• There's still crowds and EMTs in the area watching/filming the event

 

Edited August 14, 2023 by Jedaii (see edit history)

[Laird_Thorne]

Phillipe Watched as the rain put out the fire he had been worried about. smiling inwardly he turned, looking around to see who might still be in danger. Down the street, he spotted the woman who had asked about him seeming engaged with a gigantic spider. She wasn't seeming to have a lot of luck however, so he knew he had to help, seeing there were also so many civilians around that area.

He bent his knees slightly and hoped he could do what just came to mind. He took a couple of steps toward the creature, then jumped at the monster. He hoped that he would be able to come down on top of, or at least close enough to try to slam into the spider...

[Rayth]

The impact with the beast rattles Olivia, but the armor withstands the shock. Excellently so, in fact. As the arachnid sails through the air and hits the pavement, Olivia suppresses the urge to cheer. This wasn't over yet. But this was the first real combat test she'd put the armor through in quite some time; since her first stint as a vigilante so long ago. It was good to see that all her hard work had been worthwhile.

The spider flips back onto it's feet - or tarsi, maybe, would be more accurate. The other pedestrians nearby had all gotten the right idea, attempting to flee for their lives. The woman it had been pummeling managed to claw the webbing away, and seemed content to hide behind Hardlight's armor, clearly almost hysterical.

Olivia couldn't blame her, but she needed the woman out of the way. She was more than capable of protecting the woman, but it would limit her options and mobility to do so.

Just as she was about to turn and speak to her, the spider launches itself through the air, hoping to entangle her with it's limbs!

With a muttered, "Ew ew ew gross...!", she manages to break it's grip and send it back to the sidewalk.

Before the creature or Hardlight can trade another blow, the crystalline colossus flew through the air like an adamant avalanche, colliding with the spider and engaging it in combat! Dimly, Olivia remembers what the man had said; he had implied that he was Phillipe, maybe augmented by the storm just as these others were.

On her periphery, Hardlight picks up panicked radio messages and sees the tumbling police cruisers in the flying woman's tow, and her face falls as she sees one on collision course with the news helicopter!

The explosion rattles her teeth even in the armor, and as the chopper pinwheels in the air, she whispers, "Oh, you have to be kidding me."

Seeing no time to waste, she turns and shouts at the newly-arrived combatant.

"Big man, keep it busy! I've got the helicopter!"

She then turns, doing her best to coax the woman into running for safety alongside the others. Then, with a high-pitched whine from her thrusters, she floors it.

Hardlight rockets through the air, neon streaks of light left behind her. She spreads her arms wide, her armor giving her a wider reach than normal. She crosses the stretch of open air between her and the falling helicopter in a fraction of a second and hits it with a dull metallic thud. Her fingers scrabble for a place to grip; her armor's strength lets her dent the metal with her fingertips, and she hopes that'll give her enough of a hold on it.

Turning toward the cameraman hanging from the chopper's strut, Olivia is glad her armor is opaque; it stops him from seeing the fear in her face. She does her best to sound cool and collected, but there's some waver in her voice.

"H-Hold on! I've got it!"

As the metal groaned under the strain, Olivia hoped against hope that she was telling the truth.

OOC

Hardlight will use her movement speed to disengage from the spider, fly up to the helicopter, and grab it to control it's descent. Her movement speed is 900 feet, and her carrying capacity is 25 tons without Extra Effort or the like. If it requires Extra Effort or Hero Points to accomplish, I'm happy to spend them, but I figure it's within her capability.

If she's able to guide it to the ground and set it down safely all during this turn, I'd love to. If not, I'm happy to spend the turn accomplishing it.

If she is able to set the chopper down safely and is then able to act normally otherwise, my willingness to spend a Hero Point to stunt a use of Interpose to protect a civilian stands. I'm mainly paying attention to the woman the spider was attacking or any other civilians in that area, but I'm not picky; if any villains are getting frisky and want to blast a bystander, I'm willing to tank that hit.

[Jedaii]

The Yellow Brick Row, 1:06 p.m:

 

Crystal Titan:

The hero's attack slammed the massive arachnid sending it tumbling fifteen feet away -- but as it rolled it began to transform growing smaller and its legs retracting until it wasn't even a spider anymore -- it was an older woman laying in the wearing glasses and casual clothing! She shook her head as she sat up as the rain soaked her, "Ouch. That must be what getting hit by a truck feels like." She lowers her head and begins shrinking and turns white until she's suddenly become a seagull that runs and takes off into the air flying towards the opposite end of the Row!

 

Everyone:

Hardlight streaks to the smoking aircraft and catches it stopping its uncontrolled descent! The cameraman hanging next to her looked around stupefied, "You've got it? Whose got you?!?!"

 

Tempest, Analyst, Pinnacle and Psi-Star:

The earthquake guy squints against the rainfall scanning the area, "Forget this!" He raises his hands then waves them down as he drops into the ground leaving a manhole-sized hole in the street that quickly closes!

Scene

• the rainstorm blurs visibility across the Row
• Seraph is still confronting Nazi Hulk on a rooftop
• Hardlight just rescued the helicopter crew
• Charlie/Quake disappeared into the ground
• the woman flying with police cruisers are about a block away
• the shapeshifting woman/seagull is flying away

 

 

Edited August 16, 2023 by Jedaii (see edit history)

[JagrHunter]

Seeing the Hulk somewhat restrained and the Helo rescued Mic turned to the flying woman. "Guess she's next." muttered Mic as he shot skyward, clearing the rooftops and then straight at the woman.

As he flew he sent a mental message to O. "Analysis of the situation and the flying woman. Especially if there are any cops in those cruisers, she's trailing."

 

OOC:Mic flies up enough to clear the rooftops and then levels out to try to catch the flying woman. as fast as needed his MAX speed is 120 mph

If there are cops in the cruisers, then they are a priority. If not, He will try to get within range to stun her with a blast. He will try to stay in her upper rear blind spot, so she doesn't see him.

[Jedaii]

The Yellow Brick Row, 1:07 p.m.

 

Psi-Star:

OOCFrom ORACLE:

1. AEGIS satellites detect a massive gravitational anomaly occurring on the Row. The source is mobile - probably a civilian mutated by the blast. Maintain distance from the mutate and engage with non-kinetic options.

2. Optics indicate one occupant in one ECPD cruiser and two occupants in the rear cruiser. Both vehicles under the control of the gravity-mutate.

3. Psi-Star can take an action now

 

Psi-Star, Crystal Titan, Analyst, Tempest and Pinnacle:

The heroes see that the flying woman has turned around and is now headed back towards them! She and her 'aerial caravan' are roughly fifty feet in the air and speeding at nearly one-hundred miles per hour -- they only have a split-second to react!!

 

Seraph:

The ivory hulk puts his hands out in a non-threatening manner, "Together we could purge the corrupt governments of the world and establish a New World Order: the great empire of the Fourth Reich! Surely you've heard the profound teachings of Nacht-Krieger and the White Knight: unless people like US act now, the deranged will completely destroy our civilization with their amoral wealth! This power is a gift and we must use it against our real enemies! Do you know what 'Meine Ehre Heisst Treue' means? You must embrace what you are in order to honor our people. Will you join me?"

The PhraseThe hulk's German phrase was a motto of the Nazi army: "My Honor is Loyalty" (to the Reich).

 

Scene

• Tempest's rainstorm is still going!
• Flying car-jacker lady is incoming
• Seraph & White Hulk are having a moment (rooftop)!
• I've been vague about distance and speed -- please ask/remind me if you need details

 

Edited August 17, 2023 by Jedaii (see edit history)

[JagrHunter]

Based on Oracle's analysis Mic makes a snap decision and let's loose a stun blast at the flying woman. He will take care of the cars after she in taken care of.

OOCSo
Battle suit armament +8
Ranged attack +4
Stun blast: Affliction 8

 

 

Edited August 17, 2023 by JagrHunter (see edit history)

[Draidden]

TEMPEST

---

"Aaaarrggghhhh!!!"

Jordan is not happy that Charles was able to get away. All the times that guy screwed with him comes back in a flash and Jordan's anger increases. And then his attention is grabbed by the psycho lady running at him trailing two cop cars, having already thrown one at the helicopter and almost killing a lot of people. He decides that she can take his anger. He points at her.

"YOU!"

As he shouts suddenly she grabs her head and screams and falls to the ground out cold.

And suddenly his anger is gone as he is trying to figure out what happened and cringes as the cop cars slam into the ground and tumble with parts flying in all directions. As his anger abates the heavy rain lets up and eventually stops and the clouds start to move away.

It is at this pint that it dawns on him that he was controlling the weather and it was reacting to his emotions. He wonders if he can control it without all the emotions, but figures now is not the time to do that. He glances around looking to see if anyone needs help.

ActionsDismiss the storm he called.

 

Edited August 19, 2023 by Draidden (see edit history)

[Inquisitor D]

Cordelia's unsteady run falls to a halt as Quake runs for it. There's no way she could chase him. The storm's really picking up now, and in the sky, the metahumans are starting to brawl in earnest: speeding cars, bolts of energy lighting up the row...

Gods. They really are like gods...

She can't do much here. Looking up at the heart of the storm, it's impossible to not feel small. Useless. Vulnerable. What could a thought do against that?

Edited August 18, 2023 by Inquisitor D (see edit history)

[Jedaii]

The Yellow Brick Row, 1:07 p.m.

 

Everyone:

Psi-Star unleashes a psychic beam at the flying woman and she shrieks in pain when it strikes her -- then she falls from the sky hitting the street and tumbling several yards until coming to rest in the middle of the Row unconscious!

The two cruisers trailing her begin to tumble through the air out of control ...!

Edited August 21, 2023 by Jedaii (see edit history)

[Inquisitor D]

Cordelia winces as the combatant falls to the ground. That... had to hurt, right? That sure looked like it hurt, even before that lady hit the ground. She would not like to be on the other side of that armored guy.

We need to get out of here. Now

She wants to run. She wants to go back, grab Iroha and run as far away from Yellow Brick Row as she possibly can. But... a familiar voice at the back of Cordelia's head is trying to calm her.

People stop thinking, you know. When they panic. They rush and run about like chickens, squawking and shouting. It makes them miss what's right in front of their eyes. Promise me you'll never do that, Dewdrop. No matter how bad it gets.

Okay. Lia takes a breath. This situation is chaotic. She absolutely needs to keep Iroha safe. But she shouldn't let panic control her. Something big, strange and important just happened, and it had happened to her. Something shot lightning at her and gave her powers. It probably did the same to Q, and most of these other people. And some of those people are going crazy and smashing cop cars into the street.

Whatever this is... she needs to work it out. And... stop it? Make it less destructive? Figure out if it's gonna kill them all or not? She doesn't really have a plan, but 'learn what's going on' is usually a good step one. Everything begins from knowledge

She runs as fast as she can back the way she came. Iroha's still where she fell, half conscious and groggy. Cordelia pulls her friend from the rubble, helping her to her feet. "Roh-roh!"

Iroha blinks, still groggy. And her best friend suddenly grabbing her and pulling her along the street doesn't help. "Cordelia? Wha -"

"Sorry!" Cordelia doesn't turn around. They've reached the window of Book Crooks - the same one she was thrown through. "We're getting out of here before another crazy metahuman shows up. But first..."

It just a glance through the ruined storefront, a little memory and basic geometry. Whatever hit Cordelia knocked her through the window. Cordelia looks back at the spot she fell, then traces her own arc back onto the street. That gives her an angle. Lightning can bend and distort, but she has a starting point at least.

Lia looks to Iroha. Despite the situation, she manages a faint grin. "It's time to look behind the curtain." And so, holding her panicking friend close, Cordelia Redgrave runs off through the rain, in search of the greatest mystery of the day.

Edited August 18, 2023 by Inquisitor D (see edit history)

[Zen Gypsy]

Pinnacle, Paragon of Emerald City

DODGE: +6 +3 | PARRY: +6 +3 | TOU: +14 | FORT: +10 | WILL: +10

HERO POINTS: 5 | LUCK: 2

ACTIVE EFFECTS: None

CONDITIONS: Fatigued; Vulnerable

---

Saturday, June 3, 2023, Yellow Brick Row, 1:07 p.m.:

Quentin watched in horror as the woman hurling the police cruisers forwards at highway speeds was dropped by the combination of Psi-Star's stun blast and Analyst's psychic assault. This was devolving into a brawl, people were getting hurt, and still the biggest threat was the cause of the explosion ... he looked up, the two cruisers were hurtling towards the Row, the gathered crowds, the buildings, already damaged by seismic wave generated by the fleeing metahuman. Those cruisers would plow into the EMTs, the injured, through the driving rain, he looked down, noted that he was a hundred feet above the Row, despite the fatigue he felt from evacuating the crowds from burning buildings, he surged with confidence, with certainty, he knew he could handle the situation even as the police plummeted towards their deaths.

He had seen the crystal titan catch a falling helicopter, and it was that action which gave him the thought that allowed him to move with the speed of a missile, even as the car with the two occupants plummeted it, he moved to the second vehicle catching it, absorbing it's momentum before throwing it straight up in the air. He had seen something similar done in rugby, the up and under. As the first car reached the apex of it's height, he should have had the time needed to catch the second car, putting it down in the middle of the Row before soaring and catching the second vehicle.

"HOLD ON OFFICER," he shouted over the roar of the wind and storm, "I'LL BE RIGHT WITH YOU!" He then shot down, flying beneath the other falling vehicle, hoping, praying, whatever had allowed him to soar towards the gravity manipulating woman, would let him absorb the impact and lower it safely to the ground. "CLEAR A SPOT! Hold tight Officers, let's get you on solid ground."

---

Out of CharacterFree Action to switch from Solar Vision to Solar Powered Boost, giving me Flight 9 (2 miles per Round)

Standard Action to Throw the 1st Cruiser straight up (7 Ranks of Mass would allow me to throw it 7 Ranks of Distance, or 1/2 Mile straight up)

Extra Effort to gain a 2nd Standard Action, which Q will use to continue his movement, fly down to the falling car and land it.

The 1st car should reach it's apex, but won't immediately begin falling, hopefully giving Q the opportunity to fly up and catch that one too.